


My Universe

by stellarparallax



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Background Relationships, Endgame Sheith, Gen, Implied Established Plance/Pidgance, Implied Relationships, M/M, Parental Keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2019-01-27 19:57:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12589404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarparallax/pseuds/stellarparallax
Summary: The purple skinned, blue-haired girl ran towards him and crushed his legs into a hug so tight that he almost lost his balance. He flashed her his best smile, hoping that she wouldn’t criticise his appearance.“You look terrible.”“I know, sweetie,” he sighed as he bent over to give her a kiss on the cheek and take her school bag from her, “Let’s go.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I posted the first section on tumblr for Keith Birthday Week. I finally found the time to complete the chapter! :)
> 
> Note: This is endgame Sheith but their romantic relationship will not be the focus of this story.

As he stood at the gate of the kindergarten, Keith ran his fingers through his hair, desperate to achieve some semblance of order. He would eventually have to face the fact that he looked like a tragic mess, but he wasn’t about to just yet. Sure, he had just concluded a battle with a rogue alien race that was trying to invade a sovereign planet, but that didn’t mean that mean that he had to look like it. He knew that the other parents pointed and stared at him, but really, how many of them could honestly say that their job is saving the universe?

The stream of unfamiliar children poured out of the front door of the building. He never had the time to get to know any of the other parents, let alone the children, so they all looked like a blur of faces to him. Soon, he saw a face he recognised peer out and his stern expression softened into a smile.

“Talia!” he called out, “Over here!”

The purple skinned, blue-haired girl ran towards him and crushed his legs into a hug so tight that he almost lost his balance. He flashed her his best smile, hoping that she wouldn’t criticise his appearance.

“You look terrible.”

“I know, sweetie,” he sighed as he bent over to give her a kiss on the cheek and take her school bag from her, “Let’s go.”

They walked to his vehicle outside the gates of the kindergarten. He touched the handprint pad located at the side of the cockpit and waited for it to open so that he and Talia could enter. He hoisted her into the back seat, then jumped in, squirming as the he felt the knots in his muscles that he had gained from the five-hour fight get twisted in his legs.

Taking off had become his favourite part of flying. The excited sounds that Talia made as he did it was enough for him to consider staying in the hangar of the Castle of Lions, just doing it over and over until he ran out of fuel. Of course, he’d get a lecture from Allura, but he figured that it would be worth it. Anything for Talia was worth it. 

It didn’t take long before they were entering the hangar of the ship, much to his relief. His fatigue was catching up to him and he desperately needed a nap. He opened the cockpit and jumped out before reaching up for Talia.

“Hey, you’re back!” he recognised that voice as Pidge’s even before he turned around to see who it was, “How was school, Talia?”

“I learned how to draw a star!”

“You did? That’s great! Do you want to start learning how to identify them? We could start with something easy like the belt of-...”

“Pidge,” Keith hissed.

“Oh right, you need your bath and your dinner. Identifying stars after?”

Keith turned to Talia and raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled in return before turning back to Pidge.

“Okay!”

Keith held his hand out for Talia to take, and led her to his en suite bathroom that Allura let him have after he adopted her. 

Not every one supported his decision initially, but he was always grateful for the little things they did to show it. Talia was a good child, but sometimes she got fussy and noisy, and he really didn’t need to deal with both a cranky child and a cranky Lance talking his ear off about how she disrupted his beauty sleep. 

He heard a resounding “YEAH” as he got to his room door. He opened it, revealing Shiro in the corner of his room, eyes glued to the television monitor. He had been trying to beat Keith’s score in Mario Kart again.

Keith cleared his throat.

Shiro jumped up, guilt written all over his face, “I was just… uhhhh… HI TALIA!”

“UNCLE SHIWO!” she squealed as she ran over to throw her arms around his neck.

He glanced over nervously at Keith, who just waved his hand dismissively. Keith didn’t like other people entering his room without permission, but he never enforced his rule with Shiro. Besides, it wasn’t like Shiro was any good at Mario Kart. The extra practice he was getting wasn’t going to be enough to beat Keith… Yet.

“Talia,” he called out, “Bath time.” 

 

* * *

 

Keith was awakened to the muffled panting coming from Talia’s side of the room. He sat up slowly, so as not to startle her with the creaking from his bed, and glanced over to see if she was awake. Even in the dim light of her bedside lamp, he could see her bundled tightly under her blanket and shaking.

“Talia, is everything alright?” he called out gently. 

“F-f-fine,” she stuttered, “Why wouldn’t everything be alright? Please, go back to sleep, D-d-d-daddy.”

“Talia, what did I say about lying?”

He didn’t get a response.

He walked over to her bed and scooped her up into his arms, carrying her to his bed. He put her down and tucked her into his own blanket.

“Did something happen in school?”

“No.”

“Was someone mean to you?”

“No.”

“Did you have a nightmare?”

“No.”

“What did you dream of?”

“No.”

Keith raised an eyebrow.

“It’s nothing. I was just… It’s nothing.”

“Talia, you can tell me. You know that I get nightmares too. There’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

“I… I don’t know how to describe it. So I’m all alone, right?” she paused, waiting for Keith to nod, “Then, suddenly there’s this flashing light and once it stops I’m surrounded by people. They walk towards me but not to me, you know? It’s like they don’t see me.”

“It sounds like you’re feeling a little lonely, baby. Are the other children nice to you?”

Talia was silent.

“Baby?”

“Yes, yes, they’re very nice.”

“Okay, then you have nothing to worry about. Do you want to stay in my bed or go back to your own?”

“Your bed.”

“Okay.”

Keith walked back to her bed to move the bedside lamp over to his bed. Then he lifted up the blanket and crawled under it next to her. As soon as he got close enough, she wrapped herself around his arm. 

“Goodnight, Daddy,” she whispered.

“Goodnight, baby.”

 

* * *

 

“Keith, what you did just now was incredibly reckless. You could have died back there!” Shiro chided him.

“But I didn’t.”

“You know that’s not the point.”

“No, the point is that I’m on ti- HI BABY, HOW WAS SCHOOL?”

“DADDY! UNCLE SHIWO!” Talia squealed as she ran up to them.

Keith bent down to pull her into a bear hug while Shiro ruffled her hair. Keith hoped that the sight of his beautiful alien daughter would distract Shiro long enough that he’d forget to lecture him about getting impatient about the fight and going at the enemy on his comparably tiny and vulnerable Blade of Marmora ship. It worked out in his favour, but even he knew that it was a miracle that he was even alive, let alone still standing upright.

“Keith, we’ll talk later. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.”

“Yes, Mum,” he pouted, earning him a head shake from Shiro.

This time, they brought the Black Lion because she was much faster than Keith’s ship. Keith would have preferred to go on the Red Lion since she was even faster than Black, but Lance had fallen asleep as soon as they got back to the Castle of Lions. Instead, he had to get Shiro to take him and put up with his nagging the entire journey to the kindergarten. As much as he loved and respected Shiro, sometimes he could be a little much.

Keith let go of Talia and Shiro took her backpack from her. With one of her hands in Keith’s and the other in Shiro’s, they walked back to the Black Lion parked slightly further away from the school compound than Keith normally parked his own vehicle. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you're enjoying this fic so far~

All battered and bruised, there was only one thing that Keith was completely sure of -- it was ass o’ clock. He had never been under any delusions that the intergalactic war was over, but being ripped out of bed and having to fight before dawn broke was not at all what he had in mind. His body was aching all over and he wouldn’t have been able to take Talia to school even if his life depended on it. He felt guilty for practically pushing all his parental responsibilities to Shiro that morning, but he absolutely couldn’t bear to stay awake any longer. He didn’t even bother to take a shower. He ripped off his Blade of Marmora suit and collapsed onto his bed wearing only his briefs and undershirt. 

As soon as his face touched his pillow, he started dreaming of his old shack in the desert. He opened the door, walked into it, and was greeted by Talia and Shiro. They were standing proudly, holding up a birthday cake with two large candles and two little ones. 

“Happy Birthday, Keith. I’m so proud of you.”

“You’re just glad that you’re not the only one past twenty-one, old man.”

Shiro smiled. He parted his lips and looked like he was going to say something.

Then, a shrill ring erupted from his mouth.

“What in the-”

Keith jumped awake, realising where the ringing was coming from. He groped around on his bedside table until he finally found his cell phone.

“Ah, I finally got a hold of you, Keith.”

“Who is this?” he croaked.

“I’m Mrs Jeleruze. I’m Talia’s English teacher.”

“Ah, yes, of course. How may I help you?”

“I was hoping to discuss this with you in person when you dropped her off at the kindergarten for the day, but it seems that it’s your husband’s turn to send her to school. I wasn’t sure if I should discuss it with him since I’ve noticed that she still refers to him as ‘uncle’. It is important, though. Is it alright if I discuss it with you over the phone?”

“My husband?” Keith scratched his head, “Oh, you mean Shiro. We aren’t married.”

“Boyfriend?”

“No, he… uhh…” 

“Listen, I’m not here to judge. I just need to talk to you about Talia and her getting along with her classmates.”

“What about that?”

“She’s getting bullied in class.”

That revelation jolted him wide awake.

“What? That can’t be. She tells me that all the children are nice to her.”

“It seems that she was lying, unless she honestly considers children pulling her hair and picking her last for physical education ‘nice’.”

“But she said…”

“Keith, it’s more normal than you think. Some children lie about being the victim of bullying because they don’t want their parents to worry, especially if their parents have important jobs like being part of the defenders of the universe. I just thought you should be aware of the situation in case you choose to do anything about it.”

“Thank you, Mrs Jeleruze. I appreciate you letting me know. I’ll talk to her when she gets home.”

“Please do. I hope to see you soon.”

Keith definitely wasn’t going back to sleep. He walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out his set of comfortable loungewear and made his way to Pidge’s room.

When he got there, he nearly dented her door with his relentless knocking, only stopping when Pidge emerged from her room to yell at him for causing such a racket.

“I NEED TO SLEEP, KEITH. WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?”

“Talia is getting bullied at school.”

“Talia is-,” Pidge was shaking with fury, “Where do I find these assholes?”

“Pidge, they’re just kids! But there was a reason I came to you. Matt told me that you used to get bullied in school so I-”

“Didn’t you get bullied too?”

“Well yeah, but I’m not about to teach my daughter how to fight them off.”

“Honestly, I don’t know what to tell you. Every situation is different. You could tell Talia to stand up for herself, but in my experience that doesn’t always work. You could talk to their parents, but I’ve seen it only get worse for the victims. I… I don’t know how to help.”

Keith closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “I just feel so helpless.”

“I know, Keith. I think you should… I think you should talk to Talia first.”

“Thanks, Pidge.”

“Hey, what are friends for? But once you’re done talking to her, can she come stargazing on the observation deck with me?”

“We’ll be there if she’s up for it.”

“Great! I’m looking forward to it. And uh…. Good luck.”

“I’ll need it, thanks.”

 

* * *

 

When Shiro returned with Talia, Keith was already waiting for them at the hangar. Shiro gave him and enthusiastic wave as they stepped out of the Black Lion’s mouth. 

“Daddy!” Talia exclaimed as she pulled her hand out of Shiro’s and ran to Keith.

Keith didn’t smile back.

“Daddy, what’s wrong?” her face darkened, “Am I in trouble?”

“Let’s go somewhere back to our room, alright? There’s something I need to talk to you about,” he said flatly.

“Can Uncle Shiwo come?”

Keith looked up at Shiro who gave him a supportive nod, having already been briefed about the situation.

“I think it’s best that it’s just you and me.”

“Okay.”

 

* * *

 

When they got to their room, tears were already brimming in Talia’s eyes. Keith knew that she had always been a sensitive child, so it was beyond fathomable how she managed to keep a problem as big as bullying a secret for so long.

“Baby, Mrs Jeleruze called Daddy while you were in school.”

“Was it because I didn’t finish yesterday’s homework? I said I was sorry…”

“No, baby, it’s not that. She said you were getting bullied in school.”

“Oh.”

“Is that all you have to say? “Oh”? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Talia, I’m your father. It’s part of the job. You should have told me.”

“But your other job is saving the universe.”

Keith was struck with realisation, “Oh.”

“Exactly.”

He watched as she turned away from him and curled up into a ball on his bed. 

“Do you know why they do it?”

“They think it’s weird that I’m a Galran orphan and I have a human father. I didn’t want to tell you because I know that-”

“Shhh, baby, shhhh,” he whispered as he pulled her to his chest, “You don’t have to worry about me. Baby, do you know why I chose to adopt?”

“No.”

“I heard that there were a lot of Galran orphans as a result of the war -- something that I played a huge part in. My mother left me when I was your age, so I know what it’s like to feel like no one wants you. I’m your father because I chose you, Talia. I’ll always choose you. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I-”

“Did you know that childhood bullying contributes to a higher rate of attempted suicide?”

“Dad…”

“Listen to me, Talia,” he released her from the hug and was gripping firmly to her upper arms, “I fight to protect the universe. You are part of that universe. But baby, the rest of the universe can burn if you’re not in it. You’re my universe, you hear me?”

“Yes, daddy.”

“Don’t ever keep something like this from me every again, understand?”

“Yes, daddy.”

 

* * *

 

Fatherhood had been tough, but Keith was getting better and better. With support from his friends, he was confident that he was doing a great job. Even after talking to the parents of the bullies, the bullying didn’t stop. Fortunately, Talia was graduating from kindergarten soon and Keith would be enrolling her into a primary school on a different planet. He hoped that that would be the last time that she ever gets picked on, but he had a bad feeling that it would keep happening until the other alien races started becoming more tolerant of the Galra. At any rate, Pidge, Matt and Coran were prepared to tutor her if there was ever a need to take her out of school. 

It was Talia’s school break. Keith and Talia were in their room playing Mario Kart. Suddenly, Talia paused the game and moved closer to Keith.

“Dad, it’s not that you’re not enough for me but…”

“But what?”

“I’m just saying that it would be kind of cool to have another dad.”

Keith snorted, “Who’d want to marry me, baby?”

“Uncle Shi-”

“Don’t say it.”

“Wo.”

“Talia, baby, Takashi-... Uncle Shiro and I… We tried. A long time ago before you joined our family here at the Castle of Lions, he and I were… Together. A lot has happened since then and we’re just not the same people we were when we fell in love back when we were in school. It didn’t work out.”

“Daddy, did Mrs Jeleruze tell you that I failed a spelling test?”

“You what?”

“I did. I guess I’m just not good at spelling and I’ll never try again for anything ever in my WHOLE LIFE.”

“I know what you’re doing, Talia.”

“I WON’T EVEN BEGIN TO BOTHER.”

“Talia, that’s enough.”

Keith hardened his gaze on Talia.

“I’M NOT EVEN CURIOUS TO TRY.”

“Talia, you stop that right now or…”

“Or what?” she taunted.

“Or I’m going to tickle you.”

Keith pounced onto her and started attacking her with a barrage of tickles, especially in the spots that she was always more sensitive in like her belly. Laughter erupted from her, but soon it turned into a slightly pained laugh.

“Stop, daddy, stop!”

Keith released her and gave her a minute to catch her breath. It didn’t take her long to start her teasing again.

“Daddy, I’m almost seven. I’m not stupid. I can see the way Uncle Shiwo looks at you.”

“And what way would that be?”

“He looks at you the same way Uncle Lance looks at Aunty Pidge. I know they love each other because I saw them hold hands.”

“Wow, Talia, you’re going to grow up to become a great couples counsellor some day.”

“Daddy…”

“I’ll think about it, baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know what you think of this AU and my writing. All comments would be very welcomed! Also, please leave kudos if you liked it. I live on lattes and validation.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! <3

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to know what you think of this AU and my writing. Please leave comments! Also, please leave kudos if you liked it. I live on lattes and validation.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! <3


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